Did you know you can support your favorite author by buying directly from their website? That's right! Amazon even makes it easy with this simple link: www.amazon.com/sendtokindle!
It takes about 5 seconds longer than buying the book on Amazon, but your favorite authors will thank you forever.
For instance, here is the link to my shop, where you can buy things directly from Vocabbett.
Here's how to do it:
Download the book (from the thank-you page or your email)
Drag the file into the "Drag and Drop Files Here" box!
That's it!
How Much Money Do Authors Make on Amazon?
If you're curious about the logistics of this...When you buy an ebook on Amazon, Bezos and co. keep 35%-70% of the list price. Then Uncle Sam swoops in and takes his cut, so authors make around $2 on a $10 book sold on Amazon.
When you buy directly from the author, Amazon no longer takes a cut. Most payment processors charge 3% + 30 cents per transaction, so after taxes, authors make between $6-$7 on a $10 book sold directly to the customer.
Believe me, that's a major difference!
Historical Note
Did you know that Americans only started paying income tax in 1913? Uncle Sam promised he would only EVER collect a 1%-6% tax on the ABSOLUTE wealthiest Americans. "You normal people will never be affected!" Yet here we are, 100+ years later, and it's a huge line item on all of our budgets. Don't trust the government, kids...
You're taxed when you earn the money, taxed when you spend it (sales tax), taxed when you invest what you've already paid taxes on (capital gains tax), taxed to live in your house (property tax), and taxed on what's already been taxed when you die (estate tax).
Just thinking about it makes me want to throw tea into a harbor.
Thank You, Amazon
I appreciate you supporting me and other authors, but I also appreciate Amazon for bringing us together! They could could easily refuse to let iPads and Kindles be compatible with outside documents, but they haven't. For that, I'm thankful.
That's it! Hopefully this little guide helps you support your favorite authors. May I suggest you begin with one of these delightful reads?